What The New App Store Can Mean For Comics
This is it, the iPad's here. Heidi McDonald probably said it best when she wrote "Sh*t just got real." April's iPad explosion, whether you liked it or not, will divide the history of digital comics into eras before or after a dedicated online reader and distributor. The biggest contender for this game-breaking change is the Marvel Comics app, from where users can purchase and read a selection of titles both for free and for purchase. And judging from the Boing Boing's review showing just how smooth the reader interface is, clunky .pdf readers are yesterday's news.
Apps have been updating aplenty to accommodate for the iPad, but IDW threw their proverbial hat in the ring Saturday with a similar distribution service and reader. Titles like Star Trek and Transformers are all available to be rendered in iPad goodness.
This is only the beginning of many changes to the industry; Though Marvel mostly keeps its new releases with direct distributors for now, this could certainly be a chance for smaller distributors to flower. And what of the incentive to purchase e-ink over paper? Mitch Breitweiser has repeatedly pushed for functionality that maximizes the iPad's capabilities.
Now just give me the option to turn the colors on and off, and built in character and creator bios and we'll be set.
This isn't mere "bonus content" for readers to make the switch, if Marvel were to apply a feature that enables switching between inked and non-inked pages, or to turn off lettering (or possibly to see only the lettering), this would literally redefine the comics reading experience. It'll be curious to see if DC follows with its prudent policy towards the digital adaptation. Meanwhile, Marvel's release of 500 issues shows how aptly they've made the transition into the comics age of new heroics.
Rubber Justice
Posted to Comics, Hot Stuff on 2 April 2010
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: apple, digital distribution, IDW, ipad, marvel comics, the future
I just picked up an iPod Touch today and, 8 dollars and a few hours later, I'm all caught up on the new ongoing series of Transformers. For the same price, I picked up two comics from my local grocery store's paltry selection.
The whole "digital comics on the app store" thing is exquisite news for me as I am that saddest of creatures, the guy without a local comic shop.